The Brain Foundation
The Brain Foundation is a Pleasanton, California–based public charity, formed in 2019, that supports medical research into neurological disorders, with a particular focus on autism and translational research aimed at developing treatments and improving care.
The Brain Foundation at a glance
In short: The Brain Foundation gave $897K across 11 grants in 2024 (avg $82K), top state California. 91% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $897,178
- -16.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 11
- +37.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $81,562
- -39.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $89,000
- Total assets
- $2,296,712
- -13.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 91% first-time grantees (10 of 11, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- California (36% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Brain Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Invitation Only
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for its 2026 research grants, which are being awarded by invitation only. Its website anticipates resuming an open Requests for Proposals process in 2027. The stated applicant requirements are a principal investigator associated with a research institution or private enterprise able to accept a nonprofit grant and obtain an IRB for the work if needed. Research must be conducted in the United States. The website welcomes researchers new to autism research and says applicants already covered under the prior year’s grant should wait until the following year. The maximum budget is $90,000 per year for up to two years; institutional overhead is not supported and cannot be included.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5912 Stoneridge Mall Road, Pleasanton, CA 94588
Phone: (415) 595-9447
Website: https://brainfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Brain Foundation
Who The Brain Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was UNI of California Berkley ($140K). Together the top 10 received $847K.
Grant Size Distribution
48 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $50–100K range: 26 grants of 48 (54%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation states that it can support research only in the United States. Its 2024 grants went to recipients in California, Florida, Rhode Island, Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, and North Carolina. California received 36% of grant dollars, Florida 20%, Rhode Island and Texas 10% each, and Kentucky 8%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Brain Foundation open to new grantees?
91%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 10 of 11 grantees (91%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $81K; repeat grants $90K. How we count
Medians: $89K first-time, $90K repeat.
- 9% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (+19%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $100K (2020) to $1.1M (2023). In 2024 it made 11 grants totaling $897K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| UNI of California Berkley Berkley, CA | Medical Research | $140,000 |
| Hasbro Childrens Hospital Providence, RI | Medical Research | $90,000 |
| Stanford Univ School of Med Stanford, CA | Medical Research | $90,000 |
| Univ of Miami Miller School Coral Gables, FL | Medical Research | $90,000 |
| Stanford UNI Dept of Psycolog Stanford, CA | Medical Reserach | $89,178 |
| Nova Southeast University Fort Lauderdale, FL | Medical Research | $89,000 |
| UNI of Texas SW Medical CNTR Dallas, TX | Medical Research | $89,000 |
| Childrens Hospital Foundatio Louisville, KY | Medical Research | $70,000 |
| UNI of Arkansas for Medical Little Rock, AR | Medical Research | $50,000 |
| University of Illinois Urbana, IL | Medical Research | $50,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Brain Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,296,712 | $933,178 | $1,148,039 | $897,178 | 11 | $104,262 |
| 2023 | $2,652,772 | $1,767,518 | $1,202,197 | $1,074,179 | 8 | $71,961 |
| 2022 | $1,983,637 | $1,331,137 | $1,049,033 | $974,061 | 14 | $2,523 |
| 2021 | $1,626,533 | $1,255,248 | $770,446 | $755,546 | 10 | $1,757 |
| 2020 | $1,141,731 | $1,206,521 | $107,491 | $100,000 | 5 | $2 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to educate the public and promote medical scientific research on neurological disorders, including neuro-immune, gastrointestinal, metabolic, and related conditions. Its website emphasizes basic and interdisciplinary translational research that could lead to therapeutics for autism, including work on pathophysiology, biomarkers and therapeutic targets, drug repurposing, novel compounds, and devices.
The foundation identifies research areas including treatment trials, biological biomarkers, cellular-level differences studied through organoids, immune response in autism, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Its 2023 call also listed epilepsy, speech, motor and behavioral impairments, and case studies and retrospective analyses. The 2024 grants listed in the filing were all designated for medical research.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $897,178. Grant amounts ranged from $50,000 to $140,000, with a median of $89,000. Notable grants included $140,000 to UNI OF CALIFORNIA BERKLEY for medical research; $90,000 each to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the University of Miami Miller School; and $89,178 to Stanford University Department of Psychology.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2024 filing are Sean O’Sullivan, board member; Pramila Srinivasan, President & CEO; Elizabeth Horn, Vice President; Steve Collard, Treasurer; and Sarika Agrawal, Secretary.
The Brain Foundation is led by Pramila Srinivasan, President & CEO on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Pramila Srinivasan
President & CEO
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Elizabeth Horn
Vice President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sarika Agrawal
Secretary
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Collard
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sean O'Sullivan
Board Member
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about The Brain Foundation
How much does The Brain Foundation give each year?
The Brain Foundation gave $897K across 11 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.1M across 8 grants.
What is The Brain Foundation's typical grant size?
The Brain Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $89,000, and its average grant was $81,562, across 11 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Brain Foundation that year got $81K on average.
Where does The Brain Foundation give grants?
The Brain Foundation's top state is California, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Florida (20%) and Rhode Island (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Stanford, CA (2 grants).
Does The Brain Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on The Brain Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Medical Research" (10 grants).
Who are The Brain Foundation's largest grantees?
The Brain Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include UNI of California Berkley ($140,000), Hasbro Childrens Hospital ($90,000) and Stanford Univ School of Med ($90,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Brain Foundation?
The Brain Foundation reported $2.3M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $933K.
What does The Brain Foundation fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to educate the public and promote medical scientific research on neurological disorders, including neuro-immune, gastrointestinal, metabolic, and related conditions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Brain Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for its 2026 research grants, which are being awarded by invitation only. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Brain Foundation's EIN?
The Brain Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 83-4072118. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Brain Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 18, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Brain Foundation funds
Diseases, Disorders & Medical Disciplines Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Brain Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Figures come from The Brain Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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